Finland´s experience in organising skills competitions

- benefits

Timo LankinenDirector-General for Finnish National Board of Education

President of Skills Finland

What are Skills Competitions?

• Competitions with difference– Test and develop skills and competencies of those

working within industry, commerce and services

– Excellent way of raising skill levels

• Each competition designed to test technical skills as well as communication, teamwork, business skills and the ability to projects– to a high standard within specific timeframe

The goal of the WorldSkills Competition

To challenge young people, their teachers, trainers and employers to achieve world class standards of competence in commerce, services and industry, and to promote the status of vocational training

Skills Competitions

• Benefits to all stakeholders– To individuals– To employers– To training providers– To society

Benefits of Skills Competitions• To individuals:

– personal development: self-esteem and motivation

– experience working under pressure - see excellence in action

– opportunity to compare skills against peers - mirrors the competitive world of work

– individual portfolios– have fun and good contacts

• To society:– raise the awareness of decision

makers, youth, parents of skills and competences and how they benefit to the society

– excellence sets examples to youth and working life

• To employers:– possibility to compare the quality of

training: national and international benchmark on skill levels

– demonstrate commitment to high standards of training and personal development

– promote equipment and products

• To training providers:– network of professionals to

exchange good practice and information (national/global)

– better recruitment to training: young professionals shining examples of excellence

Objectives of the WorldSkills 2005 Helsinki

• Raise the awareness of youth and parents • Improve cooperation between VET and the world

of work• Enhance work-placed learning and training• Increase the status and attractiveness of VET

• National investment - 5 year development project in partnership with social partners, VET providers and industry/business

WorldSkills 2005 Helsinki – Vocational Skills Competition

• Key project for the development of vocational education and training, vocational Excellence and Skills Competitions

• Main event for the National Year of VET and Young Professionals 2005

• The project was launched in 2000 and will continue after 2005

• Vocational skills competition a means of developing vocational excellence

• Strong links between VET and working-life– Competence-based qualifications, work-based learning, skills

demonstrations, social partner participation, quality of training

• Increased counselling at comprehensive schools and enlargened information about VET and working-life

• VET as educational pathway to higher education

• Increased possibilities to gain double qualification

• Performance-based funding and quality-awards to training providers

• Extra funding for VET-providers with non-attractive qualifications

• Increased use of skills competitions - celebrating excellence in skills

– T9 Skills Competitions (9th class pupils in comprehensive schools), National Skills Competitions, WorldSkills Competitions – EuroSkills Competitions

More attractive VET

Skills Competitions – supporting the national objectives

• Increasing the response of VET to working life

• Improving cooperation between vocational education and working life

• Supporting industry-driven innovations

• Developing on-the-job-learning

• Creating new regional, national and international networks

Skills Competitions – supporting the national objectives

• Promoting internationalisation of VET, especially via new virtual networks

• Creating new learning environments for students

• Offering new learning possibilities, developing vocational excellence

• Developing the system of demonstrations

• Offering possibilities for national and international benchmarking and self-evaluation

Goals for WorldSkills 2005 Helsinki- successfully reached

• Enhance the appreciation of VET and skills

• Improve the quality of training and skill levels

• Highlight excellence in vocational skills

• Consolidate national skills competitions and their

role as developing training and skills levels

• Build up new national and international skills

networks

– to learn from each other

– to strengthen the capacity of VET providers

INCREASE OF VET AFTER BASIC EDUCATION (AGE COHORT) 2000 - 2009

VET SEEN AS AN EQUAL PATHWAY TO GENERAL EDUCATION

• VET now attractive – number applicants raising continously

• More motivated young people at initial VET• Motivated also to continue their studies at

higher education• Government increasing study places and

apprenceships• Benefits to the world of work and to the

society

Overall positive trend in attractiveness of VET still hides gender and regional disparities

VET mainly option for boys 32 % of girls and 49 % of boys completing basic education

continued in VET – the respective numbers for general education stream 60 % and 42 % (2007)

VET is a less likely choice of a girl living in the capital area

In Uusimaa (surrounding the capital city Helsinki) only 31 % of comprehensive school leavers started in VET, while 58 % went on to general upper secondary education. On the other hand in Kanta-Häme 49 % started in VET (2007).

Raise in attractiveness of VET diminishing regional and gender disparities

• How were the goals of the competition achieved?

• How can the experiences be exploited in the future?

• How should the competition and coaching be developed?

Pedagogy for Tomorrow – learning from skills competitions

Ubiquitous technology, ubiquitous opportunity? Collaborative, social-constructivist learning Problem-based instruction Progressive inquiry, experimental study Peer feedback and peer cooperation Comprehensive national core

curriculum/standards integrating 21st Century Skills with content rich curriculum

Learning in Multiple Innovative Environments

Contextual, authentic learning sites Networked local, technological and social forums

of learning Hands-on, on-the-job, real-life learning

arrangements On-line study in virtual environments, through

social media, with mobile tools Blended teaching methods, hybrid learning

resources Public-private partnerships

21st Century skills integrated into

National Core Curriculum

• Effective written and oral communication

• Problem-solving and critical thinking

• Learning to learn

• Accessing and analyzing information

• Collaboration across networks and leading by influence

• Agility and adaptability

• Initiative and entrepreneurship

• Curiosity and imagination

• Empathy

• Global understanding of different societies

19

Skills Finland, 1993

Objectives

- improve the quality of vocational education and training- increase the attractiveness of VET- encourage students to improve their professional skills

Background

- Ministry of education- Finnish National Board of Education- VET providers- Labour Market Organisations- Organisations of teachers and students

Skills Finland

• Skills Competitions– Taitaja 9 - Skills competition for primary school

students– Taitaja-Mästare SM – National Skillls Competition

for student in initial VET – TaitajaPlus– EuroSkills Competition– WorldSkills Competition

• Training of young people aiming at international skills competitions

• Training of trainers and competition specialists• Development- , research- and information activities

WorldSkills

2005WorldSkills - 38th Competition in Helsinki –

40 members from every Continent

1952IVTO (WSO) founded by Spain - first international skills competition

in Madrid, 6 members from Europe

over

50 members

2007 Japan, 2009 Canada, 2011 London, 2013 Leipzig

Shortcomings in VET systems in Europe (Commissioner Figel´)

• Too many systems failing to provide an alternative for the young unemployed

• Systems not open and flexible enough to attract young people disenchanted with

school and lacking key competences

• Institutions lacking close links to knowledge-based economy and to the world of

work

• Systems frequently fail to help students progress to higher education

• Not enough anticipation of skill needs of companies and working life

• Constant need to develop and adapt workers´ competencies: systems failing to lay

foundation for lifelong learning and societies should cultivate a strong demand for

continuing VET

• CVET plays only marginal role in many countries – more investment, especially

private investment needed